The Rise of Realism(1850-1914)

• Transcendentalism was an optimistic response to the brewing times.

• Popular forms of literature, such as poems, could not adequately express the carnage that was the war-time reality, nor could they express the depths of poverty and desperation people experienced.

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Romantic South

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Civil War

• April 1861, the Confederate Army attacks Fort Sumter

• The Civil War begins

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Civil War Fact Sheet

• The US invaded Iraq in 2003. • Thus far, over 3,948 American soldiers

have been killed in Iraq. • In the Battle of Antietam, a single fight

during the Civil War, 26,000 men were killed.

• By the time the Confederates surrendered, 620,000 men had been killed.

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War is Kind

• Many of the wounded remained on the battlefield until a hospital bed became available

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A field where a thousand corpses lie

• Rifle balls shatter bones• No antiseptics• Limbs were piled in a cart• No anesthesia• Surgeon’s sharpened their

scalpels on the soles of their boots

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Realism

• Photographs• Need for Journalists• Growing fields of psychology and

natural science (Freud and Darwin)• Why do people act the way they

do?

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Characteristics of Realism

• To write about the common course of everyday life with exactness.

• Very different from the idealism found in Romanticism/Transcendentalism.

• Often focused on the slums, the factories, hardships, etc.

• Character development is more important than the “action.”

• The universe is indifferent to the plight of Man.

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Realism

• People are animals • People are affected by biology and

environment• We have limited choices and

motivations

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Industrialization• Post-war industrialization occurred rapidly.• Factory conditions were horrible: low wages,

no max. work week or overtime, no worker’s comp. or safety rules, child labor, etc.

• Many people lived in squalor in over-priced tenements.

• Local law enforcement/politicians often corrupt.

• Huge influx of immigrants: Polish, Irish, Italians, who rivaled for power and were often met with discrimination.

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Realist Hero

• Lives a hard life (Prostitute, Slave, A man of the streets)

• Is no longer innocent• Discovers truth through his

struggle

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Heroes in Realism

• Not ideal and more often corrupt or “less than ideal” character.

• Events accurately show the harsh reality of everyday life.

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Regionalism

• Focuses on one particular geographic area and realistically presented the region’s dialect, manners and culture.

• Although realistic in representing the region, Regionalists often depicted unrealistic, sentimental character and social development.

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Regionalism

• Mark Twain• Brett Harte• Kate Chopin

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